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The Scorching
A nation in flames. Freedom under fire. A call to all heroes to stand up, fight back, or die. From the bestselling authors of Black Friday, Home Invasion, and Knockdown . . . AMERICA IS BURNING. It begins in the Pacific Northwest. A deadly wave of massive wildfires are raging out of control, killing hundreds in their path, and showing no sign of stopping. This time, the fires are man-made. FEAR IS SPREADING. In Portland, Oregon, a sleeper cell of terrorists have recruited a disgruntled Forest Service smokejumper to train their army. To spread the fear coast to coast. To make America burn. HEROES ARE RISING. Those who flee the hot flames are gunned down in cold blood. But one man—Forestry Service smokejumper Cory Cantwell—is fighting back. Leading a team of elite firefighters, he is determined to stop the destruction. Not with water. With Glock 19s. With real firepower. And with no mercy. Live Free. Read Hard.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 24, 2021
45 people are currently reading
1464 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,041 books1,392 followersWilliam W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 12, 2021
Islamic pyroterrorists are planning a great “Scorching” event to bring fear and destruction to America, a massive wave of deadly forest fires intended to set the country aflame. Only a small force stands against the insidious plan to burn the nation’s forests, Cory Cantwell a Forestry Service smokejumper’s team of elite firefighters, the Regulators.
July 12, 2021
The Scorching by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone is a different book about terrorism, pyroterrorism. Someone is setting fire to the forrest in the US and Cory Cantwell is tasked with setting up an organisation to counter these attacks. But who is responsible? These non series books from Johnstone is always about some kind of threat to America and freedom. They also always have some kind of hero that makes a stand against evil. They are also quick reads and rather entertaining. I must thank @kensingtonbooks @netgalley and @pinnaclepublishers for giving me this advance copy and @williamw.j.a.johnstone for writing it.
December 6, 2021
The story, which reads like a comic book conceived by a 12-year-old boy, breathlessly follows a team of firefighter-paratrooper-secret-agent-assassins tasked with hunting and killing Islamic arson-terrorists in America. It's an uncomplicated wish-fulfillment fantasy in which generic god-fearing, pistol-packing good guys hunt and kill plain-wrap Middle Eastern Muslim bad guys.
The problem is that, for all the action, there's no dramatic tension. To create a compelling narrative, you need a powerful antagonist who seriously overmatches the protagonist. The drama comes from knowing that there’s no way the good guys can win—but then, through guile, previously untapped reserves of strength, or whatever, the protagonist overcomes the more powerful adversary. That struggle is everything—it’s what makes a story satisfying and interesting.
Here, however, the good guys are uniformly strong, manly and highly skilled, while the bad guys are effete, morally bankrupt and incompetent. Worse, the story's antagonists are handicapped from the start, employing a moronic strategic plan that they execute with no tradecraft, operational security or marksmanship. Even the vaunted “professional” assassins they employ can’t successfully complete basic assignments without getting killed. Seriously, if the NFL-level good guys can’t defeat a poorly coached JV team like this, that’s on them.
The other main issue is that, beyond their political views (god-and-country for the good guys, Allahu Akbar! for the bad guys), the characters are blanks. None of them really faces a dilemma that reveals depth of their character—who they really are when no one is looking. Everyone is a hollow stereotype whose brief description is the sum of their personality: swarthy Middle Eastern terrorist, opportunistic secret traitor, short-sighted government bureaucrat, Ukrainian assassin, busty assassin, brainless media type, Marlboro-smoking tough guy, etc. The reader is never made to care about anyone—not the good guys or even the faceless Americans under threat. The most memorable character in the book is a Glock-19.
With no one to care about, nothing really matters in the story. When a good guy gets killed, another character notes, "He had a wife and kids" and that's as close as the story gets to emotional depth. Consequently, the book essentially becomes a chronology of stuff that just happens... And mostly what happens is the protagonist Puts Together a Crack Team of Operatives with the President's Blessing®... which happens at a glacial pace over the course of the story. But the team never really does that much that matters, dealing instead with various intrigues that also don’t matter much—even when a team member is kidnapped (She’s guarded by utter incompetents, so don’t expect that subplot to amount to anything).
Meanwhile, the terrorists take fumbling steps to implement their nonsensical, three-step masterplan, “The Scorching,” which is essentially:
1) Burn American forests
2) ???
3) The U.S. abandons Israel and turns over all corporations operating in the Middle East to the Caliphate.
On occasion, bad guys pop up in the story with AKs to “spray and pray,” but the good guys barely have to point a weapon downrange to effortlessly mow them down. So, while minor good guys do get killed on occasion, at no point do we feel the main characters are at risk, so again, nothing truly matters.
The craziest thing is that the ONLY surprise in the story is that the climactic battle that you know is coming the whole book—the ticking time bomb in Act III that explodes across the pages in a crescendo of action that forces the reader to sprint to the end to find out what happens—never happens. There's a minor skirmish, but the main protagonists—the people the whole story is actually about—barely do anything while army units swoop in to engage some random terrorist cannon fodder you just met a couple pages earlier. The end. Seriously, that's the climax we've been building to all this time?
I get the wish-fulfillment aspect of the story, but it’s simply not enough to make this a worthwhile read. Any number of Tom Clancy novels would be a far better investment of time.
I was disappointed and frustrated with this book because it squandered a lot of potential. The 12-year-old boy in me thinks the underlying concept of firefighter-paratrooper-secret-agent-assassins is awesome. A better-executed version of that story is one I'd still like to read.
The problem is that, for all the action, there's no dramatic tension. To create a compelling narrative, you need a powerful antagonist who seriously overmatches the protagonist. The drama comes from knowing that there’s no way the good guys can win—but then, through guile, previously untapped reserves of strength, or whatever, the protagonist overcomes the more powerful adversary. That struggle is everything—it’s what makes a story satisfying and interesting.
Here, however, the good guys are uniformly strong, manly and highly skilled, while the bad guys are effete, morally bankrupt and incompetent. Worse, the story's antagonists are handicapped from the start, employing a moronic strategic plan that they execute with no tradecraft, operational security or marksmanship. Even the vaunted “professional” assassins they employ can’t successfully complete basic assignments without getting killed. Seriously, if the NFL-level good guys can’t defeat a poorly coached JV team like this, that’s on them.
The other main issue is that, beyond their political views (god-and-country for the good guys, Allahu Akbar! for the bad guys), the characters are blanks. None of them really faces a dilemma that reveals depth of their character—who they really are when no one is looking. Everyone is a hollow stereotype whose brief description is the sum of their personality: swarthy Middle Eastern terrorist, opportunistic secret traitor, short-sighted government bureaucrat, Ukrainian assassin, busty assassin, brainless media type, Marlboro-smoking tough guy, etc. The reader is never made to care about anyone—not the good guys or even the faceless Americans under threat. The most memorable character in the book is a Glock-19.
With no one to care about, nothing really matters in the story. When a good guy gets killed, another character notes, "He had a wife and kids" and that's as close as the story gets to emotional depth. Consequently, the book essentially becomes a chronology of stuff that just happens... And mostly what happens is the protagonist Puts Together a Crack Team of Operatives with the President's Blessing®... which happens at a glacial pace over the course of the story. But the team never really does that much that matters, dealing instead with various intrigues that also don’t matter much—even when a team member is kidnapped (She’s guarded by utter incompetents, so don’t expect that subplot to amount to anything).
Meanwhile, the terrorists take fumbling steps to implement their nonsensical, three-step masterplan, “The Scorching,” which is essentially:
1) Burn American forests
2) ???
3) The U.S. abandons Israel and turns over all corporations operating in the Middle East to the Caliphate.
On occasion, bad guys pop up in the story with AKs to “spray and pray,” but the good guys barely have to point a weapon downrange to effortlessly mow them down. So, while minor good guys do get killed on occasion, at no point do we feel the main characters are at risk, so again, nothing truly matters.
The craziest thing is that the ONLY surprise in the story is that the climactic battle that you know is coming the whole book—the ticking time bomb in Act III that explodes across the pages in a crescendo of action that forces the reader to sprint to the end to find out what happens—never happens. There's a minor skirmish, but the main protagonists—the people the whole story is actually about—barely do anything while army units swoop in to engage some random terrorist cannon fodder you just met a couple pages earlier. The end. Seriously, that's the climax we've been building to all this time?
I get the wish-fulfillment aspect of the story, but it’s simply not enough to make this a worthwhile read. Any number of Tom Clancy novels would be a far better investment of time.
I was disappointed and frustrated with this book because it squandered a lot of potential. The 12-year-old boy in me thinks the underlying concept of firefighter-paratrooper-secret-agent-assassins is awesome. A better-executed version of that story is one I'd still like to read.
July 1, 2022
Haven't been this disappointed in a Johnstone book before, but this one was not good at all. The premise of the book was good, with pyroterrorism the theme, but not brought to a full extent in the book. The execution was boring and failed on so many counts. No character development, no good flow, elementary school level dialogue.
The ending was swift to no resolution, or the resolution was half-hearted.
Sorry to give you this low a rating JA. Hope the publishing company is not pressuring you to spill out a book a week/month, as this one seemed rushed through.
The ending was swift to no resolution, or the resolution was half-hearted.
Sorry to give you this low a rating JA. Hope the publishing company is not pressuring you to spill out a book a week/month, as this one seemed rushed through.
August 28, 2021
When the author's name is William W Johnstone / JA Johnstone, you do not have to read the synopsis to know it will be an excellent read. While most Johnstone fans are familiar with their westerns, this story is set in the present time. These "off series" books are ALWAYS a fascinating look at a group of patriots who must save the US from a threat to life and liberty. This one features Forestry Service smokejumper Cory Cantwell, who must recruit and train an elite unit to fight an enemy who is deliberately setting fires and driving off any and all fire fighters. While the firefighters fight flames and villians, Cantwell's team is moving in on those who would see America burn.
Johnstone books are always exciting, entertaining and with these set in the current climate, unsettling. There is a clear line drawn between the good guys and the bad guys, with consequences handed out with extreme prejudice. I am always glad to see a new Johnstone title and sad when I finish it. Live Free, Read Hard is a great motto to live by.
Johnstone books are always exciting, entertaining and with these set in the current climate, unsettling. There is a clear line drawn between the good guys and the bad guys, with consequences handed out with extreme prejudice. I am always glad to see a new Johnstone title and sad when I finish it. Live Free, Read Hard is a great motto to live by.
July 20, 2021
The Scorching by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone is an enjoyable read about a new threat to our parched earth – pyro terrorism in our forests. Cory Cantwell is a Forest Service smokejumper who is asked to lead an armed group of smokejumpers who plan to go after the pyro terrorists who have decided to attack not only America, but other forested countries. We are introduced to the politicians and power brokers who are involved in creating and attempting to control this new threat to the world. Johnstone’s books are always patriotic, with lots of action and a strong moral sense of right and wrong. Thank you to @kensingtonbooks, @netgalley and @pinnaclepublishers for this advance copy. I highly recommend it! #NetGalley
September 28, 2021
Not a review, just a note to myself for later:
Only made it to chapter 9. Characters and dialogue unevenly paced and awkward, in a way that reads to me as unbelievable. I agree with some of the points made, but feel the book (to this point) might accomplish the opposite of what it intended.
I was listening to the audiobook, and that might have been part of the problem. Maybe it reads more convincingly in one’s own voice?
Only made it to chapter 9. Characters and dialogue unevenly paced and awkward, in a way that reads to me as unbelievable. I agree with some of the points made, but feel the book (to this point) might accomplish the opposite of what it intended.
I was listening to the audiobook, and that might have been part of the problem. Maybe it reads more convincingly in one’s own voice?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2021
The Scorching is a book about terrorism, pyroterrorism. Forest fires are being set in the northwest. Cory Cantwell is the leader of an organization to counter these attacks. I found the book difficult to read. The story didn't flow easily and the characters felt too one dimensional.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review.
September 7, 2021
The story line was good but I didn’t care for how it was written. I just feel that it could have been written a lot better. I just felt that the characters were very one dimensional.
November 24, 2021
Received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. I DNF at 25%. The book was slow moving and did not hold my attention.
December 31, 2021
Did not finish
Too silly and the writing was just over the top goofy.
Too silly and the writing was just over the top goofy.
September 7, 2021
There are some great characters and great action setpieces in this book, but I came away from it dissatisfied. I can't go into why without spoilers. Suffice it to say that I can't decide if this is part one of a planned series, or if the ending was just a horrible rush job. Either way, the ending didn't work for me at all. It's really a shame, too, because the book leading up to that point was great! Sadly, I can't recommend this book. It's like going through an amazing rollercoaster ride, getting up to the top of the big hill...
...and then the track just levels out and you coast leisurely to the finish. All that momentum was for nothing! Even if this is the first in a planned series, there should have been a better climax. And what's even weirder, the characters even point it out! Oh, they don't break the fourth wall or anything like that; they just comment on how things wrapped up. Again, I am gnashing my teeth at my self-imposed no-spoiler policy. I really want to rant full-tilt about this ending. But I've already tiptoed into the dangerous waters of violation; I'll stop before I do any worse. I'm going to give the Jonstones one more chance with "Black Friday," but if that one ends as poorly as this, I'll be seeking my entertainment elsewhere, thank you very much.
...and then the track just levels out and you coast leisurely to the finish. All that momentum was for nothing! Even if this is the first in a planned series, there should have been a better climax. And what's even weirder, the characters even point it out! Oh, they don't break the fourth wall or anything like that; they just comment on how things wrapped up. Again, I am gnashing my teeth at my self-imposed no-spoiler policy. I really want to rant full-tilt about this ending. But I've already tiptoed into the dangerous waters of violation; I'll stop before I do any worse. I'm going to give the Jonstones one more chance with "Black Friday," but if that one ends as poorly as this, I'll be seeking my entertainment elsewhere, thank you very much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2022
Terrorists look to set as many forest fires as they can in the USA. One man is put in charge and he is told to put a team together to take out the scum-sucking pigs. There are so many stories within this story that you will experience so many emotions and learn how corrupt governments are all over the world. A love story also works its way very slowly in making things more interesting when one of the two who fall in love is kidnapped.
September 22, 2021
Wow!!!
If you have read any of the Johnston's in this series I highly recommend this one, it will not disappoint. Plenty of action and thrills and even a love interest but most of all a book I could not put down at 3:00 AM. This book is like drinking three cups of high octane coffee.
If you have read any of the Johnston's in this series I highly recommend this one, it will not disappoint. Plenty of action and thrills and even a love interest but most of all a book I could not put down at 3:00 AM. This book is like drinking three cups of high octane coffee.
October 27, 2021
Amazing book, I know it’s not my usual but I loved it. I know there are some westerns he wrote and there a couple of good ones, but I love it when they step out of bounds to try something new. Worth every blistered fingertips, from the burns of turning it so fast. I give it 7.9 out of 10.1
Read
July 9, 2025This is the first book that I have read by this author. I have friend who follow him religiously. I was disappointed in the book because I felt that there was way too many characters and the story line was very hard to follow. This guy is definitely NOT a John Grisham!
September 24, 2021
I wish this platform allowed half stars. 3 1/2 to me this was an enjoyable book and I will totally buy the next one!
November 15, 2021
Forests
With all the political plots in this story on terrorism and forests fires it reminds you why so many things never get done. A great read.
With all the political plots in this story on terrorism and forests fires it reminds you why so many things never get done. A great read.
December 26, 2021
Not quite what I expected but it was good just not as good as the original author
September 5, 2023
It was ok. Not really my type of book. Lots of political deceits.
July 19, 2023
This is a late, very late review that I thought I had posted long ago, however, my TBR list keeps getting bigger and well you know how it goes... my sincerest apologies and
THANKS VERY MUCH! PINNACLE BOOKS & Kensington Publishing for my copy of "THE SCORCHING" by authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. In this fast-paced action thriller, we find that America is ablaze only this time the flames aren't from wildfires. This time it's terrorism and it's going to take a fierce and fearless group of firefighting patriots to extinguish the inferno and stop the arsonists bent on destroying the country. This was an entertaining and interesting story. I enjoyed the author's style very much.
Hollywood could make this one a movie if they wouldn't change anything! Recommended.
THANKS VERY MUCH! PINNACLE BOOKS & Kensington Publishing for my copy of "THE SCORCHING" by authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. In this fast-paced action thriller, we find that America is ablaze only this time the flames aren't from wildfires. This time it's terrorism and it's going to take a fierce and fearless group of firefighting patriots to extinguish the inferno and stop the arsonists bent on destroying the country. This was an entertaining and interesting story. I enjoyed the author's style very much.
Hollywood could make this one a movie if they wouldn't change anything! Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews